Yukon Telegraph Trail

Last updated
Yukon Telegraph Trail
Raspberry Station.jpg
Raspberry Station (c. 1936)
Invalid designation
DesignatedJanuary 22, 2010
Reference no.17944
Length3,000 km (1,900 mi)
LocationBritish Columbia and Yukon, Canada
Established1866; 1901
Began construction1864
Completed1901

The Yukon Telegraph Trail, also known simply as the Telegraph Trail, is a historic pathway in the Canadian province of British Columbia that extends from the village of Ashcroft in the south to the community of Atlin in the north. It was used for servicing the Yukon Telegraph Line which ran from Ashcroft in the south to Dawson City, Yukon in the north. The telegraph line was constructed by the Dominion Government Telegraph Service from 1898 to 1901. It was abandoned in 1936 with the advent of radio communication. Along the length of the trail are remains of telegraph cabins, telegraph cable and other artifacts that were used during the construction of the telegraph line. [1]

Contents

History

Proposed route of the Collins Overland Telegraph in North America and Russia P. McD. Collins proposed overland telegraph via Behrings Strait and asiatic Russia to Europe, under Russian & British grants (7557409890) (cropped).jpg
Proposed route of the Collins Overland Telegraph in North America and Russia

Perry Collins proposed a telegraph line to link San Francisco and Moscow, Russia; the line would run north into Alaska and span the Bering Strait. He negotiated contracts in the United States, Canada, and Russia starting in 1858 and was appointed managing director of the Western Union Russian Extension, later known as the Collins Overland Line, in 1864. [2] The route was planned originally to follow the Fraser River north from Quesnel to Fort George, but the river proved to be unnavigable during spring thaws, so an alternate route was chosen, following a trail used by the Dakelh First Nations people, who also were serving as guides for the surveying crews. [2] The line was abandoned in February 1867 after it had been built from New Westminster to Fort Stager (present-day Kispiox at the confluence of the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers, just north of Hazelton), as Cyrus W. Field's Atlantic Telegraph Company had succeeded in laying a Transatlantic telegraph cable in 1866. [2] The telegraph station at Fort Stager was abandoned in 1869. [3]

The Whitehorse telegraph office is incorporated into the MacBride Museum of Yukon History The MacBride Museum of Yukon History incorporates the original Whitehorse telegraph office (47975838723).jpg
The Whitehorse telegraph office is incorporated into the MacBride Museum of Yukon History

Although the rest of the Collins Line remained active to Quesnel and even was extended east to Barkerville, the trail eclipsed its utility as the primary overland route from Quesnel for supplies and the thousands of prospectors eager to join the Omineca, Cassiar, and Klondike Gold Rushes. [2] A new telegraph line was authorized in 1899 to improve communications with the Klondike following the migration of an estimated 100,000 prospectors; the first segment of this Yukon Telegraph Line was completed between Dawson City and Bennett at the end of September that year. [4] : 18, 37  A branch was added to Atlin that year, which had grown as a result of its own gold rush. [4] : 33  The primary route for messages was through Bennett and Skagway, where they were transcribed and shipped to Victoria or Vancouver. [4] : 38  The Bennett–Dawson segment had fourteen stations, spaced 30 to 40 mi (48 to 64 km) apart; smaller refuge cabins were spaced at 10 mi (16 km) to provide emergency shelter. [4] : 41, 47 

The Yukon Telegraph Line continued construction in 1900, working south from Atlin and north from Quesnel simultaneously; [4] : 93, 102  that year, a short extension was built from Eagle, Alaska to Dawson City, linking the remote Alaskan territory, although a project led by Billy Mitchell would move American communications to an alternate line by 1903. [5] Work on the Atlin–Quesnel segment had to pause with the onset of snow in fall 1900, leaving what the planners estimated to be a 30–50 mi (48–80 km) gap in the line south of Telegraph Creek. [4] : 93, 102  Two cabins were built at the termini and it was proposed to relay messages across the gap via dogsled during the ensuing winter, but this plan was abandoned as the gap proved to be significantly larger than estimated. [4] : 109  When the gap was closed on September 24, 1901, it was discovered to be 121 mi (195 km). [4] : 118  There are thirteen cabins between Hazelton and Telegraph Creek, spaced approximately 20–30 mi (32–48 km) apart. [4] : 133  From Telegraph Creek to Whitehorse, there are seven cabins, spaced 20–50 mi (32–80 km) apart. [4] : 137 

The Yukon Telegraph operated until 1936, when it was wiped out by floods and replaced by radio communications. [2] As the trail was used by heavily-laden animals to bring supplies north, continuing from the terminus of the Cariboo Wagon Road in Quesnel, soil compaction has continued to preserve the trail by discouraging tree growth. [2]

Route

Settlements along the Yukon Telegraph
Yukon Telegraph Trail
[Interactive fullscreen map]
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North of Kispiox, the Telegraph Trail that likely was scouted as part of the Collins Line ran north along the Skeena River to its headwaters, then crossed into the watershed of the Stikine, following the Klappan River partially. [4] : 61 

In Cassiar Land District, the Yukon Telegraph Trail crosses from the Stikine River watershed to the Taku River watershed between the Little Tahltan River and the Hackett River. It passes through the abandoned settlement of Sheslay at the mouth of Egnell Creek and the confluence of the Hackett and Sheslay Rivers. Continuing north it passes through Callison Ranch then follows the Koshin River to its confluence with the Nahlin River, a locality called Nahlin Crossing. [6] [7] [8]

Proceeding north from Quesnel, the cabins and settlements (noted in italic text) on the Yukon Telegraph were: [4] : 121 

Significance

Telegraph Trail marker TelegraphTrailMarker.JPG
Telegraph Trail marker

The Yukon Telegraph Trail was formally recognized by the Canadian Register of Historic Places on January 22, 2010, as one of many historic sites in Canada due to its historical association with the Collins Overland and Yukon Telegraph lines. It was also recognized for its role in communications and transportation, as well as its scientific association with the changes in communications technology, its current use by guide outfitters, its cultural association with First Nations and telegraph operators, its potential as a recreational resource, and its location within the pristine natural environment of Kitimat-Stikine Regional District. [1]

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The Koshin River is a tributary of the Nahlin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally north about 58 km (36 mi) to join the Nahlin River, which forms the Inklin River, one of the main tributaries of the Taku River. The Koshin River flows through the Nahlin Plateau. It joins the Nahlin River at the boundary between the Nahlin and Kawdy Plateaus. Both plateaus are part of the larger Stikine Plateau region.

Beatty Creek is a tributary of the Tahltan River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally south about 62 km (39 mi) to join the Tahltan River a few kilometres downstream from the Little Tahltan River confluence. The Tahltan River is one of the main tributaries of the Stikine River.

Egnell Creek is a tributary of the Hackett River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally southwest about 24 km (15 mi) to join the Hackett River near the Hackett's confluence with the Sheslay River, which in turn is a tributary of the Inklin River, the main southeast fork of the Taku River. Mount Egnell is located near the creek's mouth, as is the historic locality known as Egnell or Sheslay, once a telegraph station on the Yukon Telegraph Line.

Kaha Creek is a tributary of the Koshin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally northwest for roughly 30 km (19 mi) to join the Koshin River about 3.8 km (2.4 mi) north of Hatin Lake, and about 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Callison Ranch. Kaha Creek's watershed covers 95.1 km2 (36.7 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 1.19 m3/s (42 cu ft/s). The mouth of Kaha Creek is located about 93 km (58 mi) north of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 165 km (103 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska, and about 103 km (64 mi) west of Dease Lake, British Columbia. Kaha Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 41.1% conifer forest, 40.2% shrubland, 12.3% barren, and small amounts of other cover.

Lost Creek is a tributary of the Koshin River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally northwest for roughly 26 km (16 mi) to join the Koshin River just north of Hatin Lake, and about 4 km (2.5 mi) north of Callison Ranch. Lost Creek's watershed covers 70.0 km2 (27.0 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 1.07 m3/s (38 cu ft/s). The mouth of Lost Creek is located about 90 km (56 mi) north of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 102 km (63 mi) west of Dease Lake, British Columbia, and about 163 km (101 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska. Lost Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 46.3% shrubland, 31.5% conifer forest, 12.2% barren, and small amounts of other cover.

Megatushon Creek is a tributary of the Nahlin River, part of the Taku River watershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally northeast and east for roughly 22 km (14 mi) to join the Nahlin River not far from the Nahlin's source south of Tachilta Lakes. Megatushon Creek's watershed covers 52.7 km2 (20.3 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 1.03 m3/s (36 cu ft/s). The mouth of Megatushon Creek is located about 65 km (40 mi) west of Dease Lake, British Columbia, about 78 km (48 mi) north of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, and about 120 km (75 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska. Megatushon Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 34.8% barren, 32.3% shrubland, 24.8% conifer forest, and small amounts of other cover.

References

  1. 1 2 "Yukon Telegraph Trail". Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cook, Kelley (October 30, 2017). Collin's Overland Telegraph Trail (PDF) (Report). Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Quesnel – Central Cariboo District. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Fort Stager". BC Geographical Names. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Miller, Bill (2004). Wires in the Wilderness: The Story of the Yukon Telegraph . Surrey, British Columbia: Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN   978-1-894384-58-2 . Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Gedney, Larry (January 13, 1986). "Billy Mitchell: Alaska Pioneer". Alaska Science Forum. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Mussio, Russell; Mussio, Wesley (2018). Northern BC Backroad Mapbook. Mussio Ventures. p. 96. ISBN   978-1-926806-87-7 . Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Nahlin Crossing". BC Geographical Names .
  8. ↑ "Callison Ranch". BC Geographical Names .
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